So I meant to post this a lot sooner (hence the September-y title) but was delayed by the opening of Gracie Farmington Valley. You’d be surprised of all the stuff you need to start a karate program from scratch!

Here’s my new school shopping list with brief explanations of each item. If you’re a reader of this blog, you know I prefer DIY equipment over storebought, but there’s a pretty good mix here.

Kataaro: nifty new belt that reads “Shohei-Ryu Karate” (At a school with multiple programs, this is a must!)

Karate Depot: bo staffs, makiwara boards, shinai, instructor’s gi

Zengu: student gis, belts, sparring equipment, pads, kick shields

Lowes: small sledgehammer (for body poundig), cinder block (for knuckles) bucket with cover, 50 lbs play sand, duct tape

Big Y: 25lbs. rice

BJ’s: two big jjugs of pretzles, two small jugs of nuts

(The bucket and the rice are for grip training, the sand, jugs, and tape are for various sizes of sanchin jars.)

Dick’s Sporting Goods: dumbbells and weight plates, wrist roller, abwheel (mostly to roll on shins)

Michaels: picture frames for portraits of the masters!

Well, I hope I got enough toys to start training. If I forgot anything, let me know!